Wine: Bargain harvest buys

Wines of the week: 2009 &Co, 2009 Elephant Hill Viognier and 2008 Elephant Hill Hawke's Bay Reserve Syrah. Photo / Supplied

We're sitting at the top of a sun-drenched Hawkes Bay vineyard looking out to sea over heavily laden pinot gris vines which have just been harvested.

Yes, you read correctly. These vines are heavily laden and the harvest here is, officially, complete. Winemaker and vineyard owner Gabrielle Simmers is doing her bit for the New Zealand wine industry this year - she's making less wine.

In case your head's been firmly in the sand, there have been several stories about plummeting New Zealand wine prices overseas. But as a quick glance at supermarket wine aisles here also reveals, there are plenty of bargain-buy sauvignon blancs to be had right now.

Winemakers are trying to move stock from 2008 and 2009 before their 2010 wines come out. And guess what? Many of the best sauvignons to drink right now are from 2008. A couple of years down the track, these wines actually taste softer and rounder - so buy up while the prices are down.

This year, winemakers like Simmers are intentionally producing less in a bid to help rectify the over-supply. Admirable as her efforts are, she will need to be joined by far larger wineries for them to translate into less wine all round.

Simmers has also dramatically changed how she's making her second vintage of &Co wine. With the help of seasonal workers, she has hand-harvested her grapes this year. She wants better grapes to work with and a better wine as a result.

Of her 8.8ha block of vines, 8.1ha are sauvignon blanc and 0.7 is pinot gris. Rather than cash in on pinot gris, she plans to blend it with her sauvignon blanc. This could be a great use of pinot gris - which has proven its mettle as a wonderful "filler-in" when blended with other thoughtfully chosen varieties.

Seresin Estate's Chiaro Scuro ("day night") is an example of a top unconventional white blend; riesling, chardonnay and pinot gris were co-fermented rather than blended - the result is delicious. Simmers plans to follow tack.

Her sentiments are echoed by Steve Skinner, winemaker at the new Elephant Hill winery, 10 minutes away on the coast at Te Awanga.
Skinner is a dab hand at syrah and, it turns out, at cool, crisp sauvignon blanc. He pulls out two to taste.

The steely-fresh 2009 Elephant Hill Reserve Sauvignon Blanc is interesting, but the 2008 Elephant Hill Airavata Sauvignon Blanc is my pick. It's modelled on the wines of the late French sauvignon fanatic, Didier Dagenau. Airvata sells only at the winery.

As I sit at the top of &Co's vineyard that night, looking at the lights of the Bay, I'm struck by these crisp, minerally sauvignon blancs, which bear more than a passing resemblance to good sancerre in all ways but one - they are far more affordable.

The job Simmers and Skinner have begun is far from complete, but it's a flavour journey I'm glad I've embarked on.

WINES OF THE WEEK

Within your means - 2009 &Co $20
Hawkes Bay is better known for full-bodied wines than light, minerally seaside sauvignons like this one - which is on my must-drink list for its thirst-quenching qualities. Winemaker Gabrielle Simmers breaks interesting new ground for Hawkes Bay's cool by-the-sea climate wines.

Test the waters - 2009 Elephant Hill Viognier $29
It's drier than most, fresher than most and even has less alcohol than most viogniers; with 13.5 per cent and a white peachy style, this is outstanding. elephanthill.co.nz

The splurge - 2008 Elephant Hill Hawke's Bay Reserve Syrah $45
A great new red from winemaker Steve Skinner that packs an elegant punch of black-pepper flavour, with lively red plums and excellent weight. elephanthill.co.nz